I've been hoping for a .app TLD for years. I'm not sure how I feel about this proposal though, and whether I would prefer it to a traditional registrar.
On one hand, the idea of having a claim and needing to maintain it like a trademark is pretty cool. However, unlike REAL trademarks, the .app domain proposal isn't governed by established case law but seemingly by an arbitrary council of nerds. It may be a massive dramabomb waiting to happen.
So far I would say the land rush method of domains has been a failure. There is an incredible number of domains that have been registered that are not being used in any way.
Well, I guess for the people making money from the land rush wouldn't feel it's a failure. But for anyone who actually wants to use a domain but cannot do so because it's parked with ads for the next twenty years may feel different. Of course, if you're willing to dole out the cash I'm sure you could get it but it ruins the fun for a personal project.
I like the idea of use it or lose it. The problem being who decides if the domain is being properly used? But it could solve a lot of issues with names, copyrights, trademarks and so on.
EDIT: I looked at their "special domains" for public use list. I see what you mean. Why should angrybirds.app and google.app be reserved for community use?
My bad on the angrybirds.app and google.app ones. We had someone pre-register them and at the time the easiest thing to do was scoop them into the "community reserved domains" list.
That makes sense, I sort of had a suspicion that was the case but it seemed a little weird in light of the "no adult" policy, which in itself seems like an arbitrary decision (disclaimer: I've worked at a porn company, and a couple of my current clients own adult sites).
My main concern though is who decides who gets a contested domain. Is it a council, and are there clearly defined rules?
I have always believed that a system which allows name collisions that result in a sort of "search results" listing being displayed in the browser is a better model than the current name system. Sprinkle with SSL/TLS as needed for authentication. Embed in a distributed (DHT) mesh for resiliency.
This idea of unique domains managed by a centralized bureaucracy is doomed. Initiatives like TBL's Linked Data foolishly rely on permanent URIs which state judges have proved are not permanent.
This seems very important for the future of the web. Hopefully it will also be based outside of the United States, so we are rid of their creeping control issues regarding domain seizures etc.
On one hand, the idea of having a claim and needing to maintain it like a trademark is pretty cool. However, unlike REAL trademarks, the .app domain proposal isn't governed by established case law but seemingly by an arbitrary council of nerds. It may be a massive dramabomb waiting to happen.
Edit: As possibly hinted at by their interesting choices for reserved domains ( http://dotappapp.com/SpecialDomains.aspx )
It could turn out to be great, but I almost feel like I would rather take my chances with a land rush.